


Igniting Star Dust

by AnimeLover513



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bad Parent Kurosaki Isshin, Canonical Character Death, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Intuitive Kurosaki Masaki, Karin and Yuzu have Zanpakutous, My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Siblings, The Quincy, sibling bonds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:29:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25048444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeLover513/pseuds/AnimeLover513
Summary: Kurosaki Masaki was no fool, despite what she lead others to believe.That's why she told Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu as much as she could, and left her diary behind for what she couldn't. If that meant teaching them to keep secrets and how to keep each other safe behind their father's back; then so be it.After all, ALL of her children are special.
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo & Kurosaki Karin & Kurosaki Yuzu, Kurosaki Ichigo & Kurosaki Masaki, Kurosaki Karin & Kurosaki Masaki & Kurosaki Yuzu, Kurosaki Siblings & Chad, Kurosaki Siblings & Ishida Uryuu
Comments: 21
Kudos: 349





	1. The Sun

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Our Stories?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14850926) by [cywscross](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cywscross/pseuds/cywscross). 



> Inspired By: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Our Stories by cywscross  
> *Author’s Note: I do not own Bleach, I am writing this because my brain made me.  
> *Also, the first chapter is similar to the Inspired story by cywscross. Most of my changes will be more visible from chapter two, but (aside from the obvious rewording and writing) the first chapter has some important differences.  
> *Constructive Criticism is welcomed

Despite what nearly everyone believed, Masaki was not an airhead. While she was not an intellectual genius, she could be considered one in the art of reading people and trusting her gut. Of course, only her cousin (and ex-fiancee), his wife and her dear children knew this. So, when she met Urahara Kisuke (not count the time they bumped into each other) after Shiba Isshin sealed his powers to save her, she knew she had been caught into something. Masaki learned a long time ago that people rare helped others out of the goodness of their heart. And no matter how well they tried to hide it, neither of them were truly that type of person. They had stakes somewhere, and while she could tell that there was slight guilt, they wanted something from her.

When she turned eighteen (at least they had the decency to wait until she was an adult), Isshin began to court her. Only an airhead would fail understand what they wanted, and she slowly began to gain more pieces of the puzzle. At this time only Ryuuken, who she loosely kept in contact with, knew her airhead-ness was an act. And Masaki needed to stay near Isshin to keep her block protecting her from the hollow in place.

Since her hollowfication, Urahara had dropped many ‘hints’ about that. She knew it was secretly a veiled threat, but an airhead would not notice that. With no way out, she did the only thing she could. Play hard to get and make Isshin actually fall in love with her. Not the act he was playing. Masaki had learned at a young age that being one of the few (pure) Quincy left, she would never get to choose her husband. She was expected to behave and pop out as many babies as she could. But that did _not_ mean that Masaki was going to behave and not gain every advantage she could.

And while she would much rather kill the two Shinigami, because she doesn’t fully believe Urahara’s threats, she would be able to easily kill Isshin, Urahara was far stronger than her. Masaki knows that he would have planned for it anyway, that’s just the kind of person Urahara is.

When she was pregnant with her first (and favorite child) and Isshin told her, he wanted them to keep their heritage and powers a secret. She smiled and nodded, pretending to agree. Masaki did exactly the opposite when he was not around or paying attention.

She sees Urahara again after Ichigo is born and overhears something that almost broke her. Her precious boy born with parts of all four races. Her most of her hollow had transferred to him. This was what the men wanted. But she will never regret Ichigo though. Her first true family in a long time.

While she doesn’t fully know what they intend to do with Ichigo. She knows that they want him to fight someone. (She learned how to word questions to a drunk Isshin and learned a lot more than he would realize.) And she knows she can’t stop them not yet. But with Ichigo’s birth, his mother is able to use her powers again. If everyone but her misunderstands the true scope of her abilities, Masaki’s an airhead, so it surely isn’t her doing.

So Ichigo grows up hearing about the Quincy, the Shinigami, the Hollows, his birthright as bedtime stories. She tells him her people’s nursery rhymes, their secrets that were passed down from parents to child. He learns the Kaiser Gesang with is numbers and letters. About Yhwach, his Echt Quincy army, and how they were defeated in their war with the Shinigami. About how he is descended from the Sealed King, the fabled Wandenreich. The genocide that happened due to hubris and the instability of souls. Ichigo is show then taught all the techniques she knows.

Ichigo is taught how to hide, how to misdirect and how to lie. Isshin and Urahara never catch on.

One of the few things that Isshin _ever_ does that Masaki _actually_ approves of is enroll Ichigo into karate. He makes a good rival-friend out of a girl named Arisawa Tatuki. Karate helps teach Ichigo how normal people and families behave. He learns that most kids his age can’t speak three different languages, as well as someone his age can.

After Karin and Yuzu are born, her world brightened again. In another world, she might have favored Ichigo over the twins. And while Ichigo is special, her first born, she doesn’t love the twins any less. Masaki knew early on that Ichigo was like her. He could sense the difference between his parent’s gazes. He knew mom did not like dad, that she viewed the man as dangerous, that from his parents only mom’s love was real. He was his mother’s son; he saw something lurking beneath his father’s gaze. When his little sisters were born, he taught the twins the same stories he was told. And that there was nothing wrong with hiding things from father.

The twins were weaker than their brother, with far less reiyoku than when he was born. Though girls do mature differently than boys, power wise; they will still be giants one day. And while the twins seemed to be safe from Isshin’s and Urahara’s plot (Isshin actual wants to spend time with them. Urahara had yet come by to see them); she will prepare them the best she can.

If Isshin actually understood and acted like a parent, making sure the kids were dressed, fed, etc., instead of a fun uncle who plays with them, he might have caught on that she was teaching her children their heritage and how to use their powers. But he doesn’t, and even strangers begin to pick up on the way he treats the girls and doesn’t treat Ichigo.

Other parents notice the way he purposely calls his son a mama’s boy as a taunt in earshot of other children at the playground. (Katagiri is one of them and she tells Ryuuken.) Some try to stop their kids from bullying Ichigo. But when Masaki picks up her boy with tears in his eyes the next school day, she knows it didn’t work.

That night Ichigo falls asleep after singing his favorite lullaby to his sisters. Something he does so his mom doesn’t apologize for not stopping his father again. He’s a big boy, he’s purified some hollows with his mom (the white butterfly his first hollow left behind was prof of that) and he has little sisters to protect now. He can handle some bullies. He would handle a hundred bullies if that meant father left and never came back. While he doen’t hate father, Ichigo doesn’t like him. Not because of treating him different from his little sisters or because father has never loved him. But because mom would rather father leave and never come back. So, until they can leave or make father leave, Ichigo will endure.

One of the many things Masaki learned from a drunk Isshin was information about Shinigami. Some information he easily rambles about when he’s drunk, others took years of careful worded questions. And for all that he used to be a captain, he is far more foolish and airheaded than her. She adds that to what she tells her children, to the conversations they keep secret. And it pays off too, Ichigo tells her all about _both_ his spirits. To her knowledge, having two spirits isn’t normal; but none of her children will be normal.

“They won’t tell me their names yet, but one is an old man and the other one looks like me bleached white. He keeps trying to fight me, but the old man stops him. I’ll just keep talking until we all get along!”

She quickly scoops him up into a hug, so he doesn’t see the emotions shifting through her face. The one thing she had yet to tell him was what happened to her. The ‘hollowfication’ that she always wished she could learn more about. The ‘hollowfication’ that passed mainly to him, and a few drops to his sisters.

As much as a part of her knew she should tell her son, she didn’t know how. How could she look her eight-year-old baby boy, still so young, in the eye and tell him about her reservations in the matter. Masaki does not even know if the spirit is the hollow who infected her, or if it was just made from the hollow that transferred over.

So, while Ichigo has learn much of the good and the bad of the Quincy traditions, and is old enough to have a broad… understanding of the things she’s explained. This she will wait until he is older. If all else fails, she can use her diary to explain. For now, she’ll make his favorite for lunch, and express her pride in him for meeting his spirits.

Despite what Isshin thought Masaki kept in contact with Ryuuken. Mainly due to neither of them trusting Isshin. She would sometimes see and chat with him and Katagiri and little Uryuu at one of the parks she would take her children to. They sent pictures their kids to each other in mass every three months like clockwork. The three adults never let anyone, except the four children, on about the communications. Out of the kids, only Ichigo knew about the emergency bank account the Ishidas set up for him, his mom, and his siblings.


	2. The Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> July 17th, the tragedy that day.

Masaki always knew her death would be sudden after meeting Isshin. For years she debated whether it would be because Urahara and/or Isshin decided she was a nuisance or if it would whomever or whatever they intended her boy to fight. One thing she was sure of, was that she would die protecting her children.

On July 17th, walking her Ichigo home from Karate on a stormy night, they had spotted a fake-girl on the river bank. She watched Ichigo’s face change from confusion, realization, stopping on determination as he felt the hollow’s muted presence.

“I’ll shoot the lure, you hit the hollow when it jumps out.” She squeezed his hand before letting go as he nodded his head. They moved into their stances and gathered the reishi to form their bows. Mere seconds after shooting the not-girl lure lightning struck her, blinding her son, as he aimed. She barely felt the hollow bite her as she fell forward, reaching for Ichigo. Her bow gone, her senses gone, her power gone.

Masaki dies, shielding her son from the hollow.

Ichigo saw the wounded hollow escape, as he laid under his mother’s corpse. His mind barely registered the rain and blood mixing around him. Lightning hit his mom, and he missed. She’s dead, she’s dead, she’s _dead._ He screams once as his mind becomes numb.

He wouldn’t remember someone calling for help, getting checked out by an EMT, or even getting home. He would only remember bits and pieces of the next week, or the funeral. It wasn’t until they got home, his father shutting himself in the clinic, and the twins hungry that brought Ichigo back, grounding him to the present.

Ichigo memorized every story his mother told him. He told them to the twins with her. The Kaiser Gesang plays in his head over and over and over. He knows what the lightning that didn’t burn her was.

_Auswählen._

He noticed the twins staring at him, their eyes wide as their sandwiches lay half eaten forgotten on their plates.

“ _Auswählen_ ” Karin whispers, causing him to realize he had spoken. Both the twins were like him, able to purify hollows instead of destroying. They knew the stories, not as well as he did yet, but they still knew them and what that word meant.

“That’s what the weird lightning was.” Yuzu whispered as quiet as Karin, briefly glancing in the clinic’s direction. “We only saw it from a distance.”

Yuzu had quickly popped the panic bubbling in Ichigo leaving confusion. They were half-Shinigami half-Quincy. Why did _Auswählen_ take their mom instead of them. They needed answers. Luckily, their mom had planned for that. After Yuzu made them all finish their lunch, they moved upstairs to Ichigo’s room. Their father still shutting himself in the clinic.

Ichigo and his sisters had been taught from birth to keep secrets from their father. To not speak about the stories she told them, play the games she taught them, or even actively use their powers around Isshin. One of the numerous things Ichigo knew that she hid from the man, was that Masaki had two diaries. The one their father knew about was filled with little things like clouds she saw, and other mundane things. The other diary, the one she and the kids always referred to with a capital D, was hidden under the floorboards in Ichigo’s room. The Diary was a compilation of everything related to what she knew about their heritage. Filled with everything she taught them, and the few things she left out.

“ _Listen to me children. If anything ever happens to me, go through the Diary. It contains things I intend to wait until you’re all older, and I_ know _your father won’t tell you if he can get away with it.” She patted them all on the head before looking them in the eyes again. “You’re three of a kind, protect one another, and_ never _tell anyone that you know, unless you all trust them with your lives and future.”_

So that night, with both of his sisters sleeping on his sides, he read through the section his mom indicated was to be read first. The section on how she met their father. When Karin woke up to use the toilet, she took one look at his face before waking her twin. Ichigo saw them looking at him, small faces determined to learn why their mother, their sun had died, instead of them. The part of him that desperately wanted to keep them in the dark, to protect them so they would never have to know. But he knew that wouldn’t work, one day they would _have_ to know.

And he knew that they would never let him keep it from them. They were great at keeping secrets from their father, but never able to hide things from each other. Mom had always told them they had to trust each other.

“We are not a hybrid of three races, but four.” He faltered, causing the twins to each take a hand, squeezing it and encouraging him to continue. So, he told them the tale he just read in hushed whispers.

That their mom had saved their father from a strange hollow. The hollow that managed to bite her, to infect her. That a man, a soul, an _exiled_ Shinigami named Urahara saved her with their father’s power. That their father had been a captain of the militaristic Soul Society, that he had become part human part Shinigami with the fake body he inhabited.

That the two men believed that the hollow had fully transferred over to Ichigo in the womb, (something she had regretted), that only she knew that some, much less, had also transferred to the twins. Mom words explained how special they all were, they were the first and only four-way hybrids to exist. Her apologies for the amount of _danger_ the three siblings were in for just _existing_. And he told them her warnings about Urahara and his unknown plot.

“That, that explains a lot. I wonder if it is because of our Shinigami or hollow powers that cause us to be overlooked by _Auswählen_.” Yuzu starts, spitting out the last word with an uncharacteristic hiss. “But, if the hollowfication is why I can always sense the… the three of us, then why can I sometimes feel others?”

“Mom’s Diary said that there were hollowfied Shinigami, but she wasn’t sure where they were, if they could be allies, or even if they still exist.”

“Do you think they can sense us too?” Yuzu beginning to panic, trying to keep her voice down.

“I, I don’t know. Father doesn’t know about your hollows, the Diary said so. Unless you let your reishi go wild you two should be fine.”

“What are we going to do about the Sealed King? The hollow may have dealt the final blow, but that _jerk_ killed mom. I say, we make him regret leaving us alive.” Karin’s eyes red with tears threatening to spill, her fists clenched tightly, as she raised one to hover between the three of them.

“Together” Yuzu raised left arm to match her twin’s. Ichigo following, his fist gently bumping his sisters’.

_We will make him pay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always found it weird that canon mainly glossed over the twins, leaving them background characters, and that no one really taught them anything.


	3. Shattered Illusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Father become Goat-Face.

The Diary was not the only contingency that Masaki had made. And it wasn’t the only one Ichigo and his siblings used. During one of the times she met Katagiri at the playground, she slipped their mom an envelope. Later when Masaki was alone and finally able to look inside, she saw that it was a card to a bank account in her and Ichigo’s name. It came with all the account details and a strict letter to ask for help if she needed.

Ryuuken had never trusted Isshin, which she first blamed his Shinigami biases. They both knew that Isshin saving her had a cost, and that he had been working on a way to secretly help her for years. That night she shed tears of gratitude while making dinner; the envelope safely hiding with the Diary. One of the many things she liked about onions was that the vegetable was used to take the blame for tears.

Like Masaki had planned to increase her survival, Isshin was in love with her in his own way. His dramatic showing had become so normal, that even he believed it to be real. After the funeral, he shut himself in his closed clinic to morn for almost a year. Either not caring or not realizing that he was leaving his children to fend for themselves.

He drank, and drank, only leaving his closed clinic to go out to buy himself more food and alcohol. Wallowing in his self-pity that he actually had been in love with the woman. Ichigo was far too weak. He had to be stronger to kill Aizen. Isshin would have to start the boy’s training, clearly karate wasn’t enough. He’d start with the boy’s reflexes, but first, he had another bottle to drink.

When Isshin came out of the clinic and back into his children’s lives, he did so with a flying kick to Ichigo’s head. He didn’t realize that shattered the last illusion that he was their father. He hung a giant photo of Masaki he had printed on the living room wall, he started to direct some of his dramatics at it. He registered that at some point Karin started calling him Goat-Face (he didn’t know that in private her siblings did the same.), but he didn’t care. It was a new term of endearment, and very Shiba-like. She always reminded him of his niece. Yuzu had become a mini-Masaki in all but looks. When Ichigo stopped insisting she was too short, she would make a fine cook. Just like her mother

At first, Ichigo was shocked that Goat-Face had started attacking him at random. If he didn’t know what killed Mom, he might a felt Goat-Face was justified. Because he knew if Mom hadn’t told him all those stories, he would have blamed himself. And part of him still does. But right now, Ichigo is more concerned with dodging, and making sure Karin and Yuzu are safe. Mom named him a protecter. Just because he couldn’t protect her, _“Sweety, it’s my job to protect you”_ , that doesn’t mean he won’t protect his sisters.

He trained with Shiro and Ossan Zangetsu to get fast and stronger. The faster he got at dodging; the faster Goat-Face attacked. Ichigo didn’t hit back, he did not dare. _What if he changes targets?_ And he wasn’t going to report Goat-Face, not with the risk of being separated from his sisters. But if Goat-Face ever hurts the girls, Ichigo will hurt him, and they’ll run away.

For now, he’ll work to give his sisters stability and continue to train them in Mom’s place. He’s made sure to read them the entirety of the Diary over the year. The more they know about themselves, the stronger they will be.

Yuzu, like her older siblings, was completely grateful for the money given to them by Uncle Ryuuken. Without it, they would have no way to pay for groceries, their school fees, daily necessities, or clothes. Otherwise, the year without Goat-Face would have been far more difficult. It ached and left a gapping hole behind. It was common for one of them to just start crying. At first, Ichigo tried to hide his tears. With the help of her twin, they made sure he stopped hiding. Together, they picked themselves up. Their father (back when she still thought of him as that, desperate for it to be true.) was barely seen, isolating himself.

They all wished they could just leave, run away and never look back but the Diary had made it clear that wouldn’t work. They were minors and would be sent back or split apart in hours if not days. Unless the three of the could completely mask their reishi from any pursuers and had a safe place to live, they were stuck with Goat Face until Ichi-nii was old enough to take custody of them. One day Goat Face would be finally be gone and he would not be missed.

He died in their eyes when he started beating Ichigo. She had been the last to hold out hope for him. Ichigo stopped when he missed their shared birthday. Karin, when he reopened the clinic without telling them. Yuzu would have thrown him out and lock the all doors if she could, and she’s the ‘nice’ sister. For better or worse, Mom had taught them all how to read each other. It helped that her siblings knew she only called him dad to his face to keep up his illusion that they were still a happy normal family. Not that they weren’t happy (with the exception of dealing with Goat-Fact), and Mom made sure they knew that normalcy was one great act.

Like her mom, Yuzu played the happy airhead doing everything she could to make herself seem like a harmless house-bound girl. She helped Ichi-nii cook, planning to take over completely the second she was tall enough to see over both the pan and stovetop. She learned how to sew and got good at patching their clothes. If she also learned the types of medical stitches, practicing them just in case; there was no need for Goat-Face to know.

A drop of reishi on the seemingly childish drawings posted in key positions in her brother’s room, would form a barrier that their father could not detect the existence of. There was a similar set up hidden in fabric and dolls in the room she shared with her twin. The barriers muted their presence, allowing Karin, Ichigo, and her practice gathering reishi before bed.

If they lead Goat-Face into believing that always-active Karin dragged her into stretching, exercising, and getting her out of the house to run around, that was on him for being a pathetic person and parent. After all, Ichi-nii knew what they were doing. And on Thursdays after school, the trio went to training grounds (Ishida’s owned) that Mom used to take them to. They had a list of people to hurt, and Yhwach would have an army protecting him. They needed to become stronger, so they trained.

And that included training with their spirits.

Shortly after Goat-Face had re-entered their lives with a kick, both Yuzu and Karin met their spirits. They both had the old man, but unlike their brother their other spirit was not completely bleach white. Hers was an archer in traditional archery garb that was entirely white, the only color to her was her blue hair. Karin’s was an almost full white Japanese dragon and aside from the occasional rows of red or black scales.

After one of the Kurosaki Sibling Secret Discussions (or as they liked to refer to them the KSSD), they agreed that the Ossan, the manifestation of their Quincy powers, and who helped to protect them from Auswählen, was one of their spirits. He wanted to help protect them, and while he was originally a splinter of one of their sworn enemies, they convinced him to help them beat up the real Yhwach.

When the siblings woke up the next day, they realized they had yet to cover the topic on why the twin’s other spirits were not completely white. The Ossans explained that the girl’s inheritance had each merged in a unique balance. Yuzu was more Quincy than Shinigami, Karin the exact opposite. The small(?) amount of hollow didn’t fully bleach over their powers like it did with Ichigo.

While it would be more years until the twins could hear the name of their zanpakutous, it was only due to their immature powers. Once they grew strong enough, they could hear them clearly. The Kurosaki siblings would be a force to be reckoned with.

For now though, they would dither over homework, poke fun at each other, and let the rest of the world believe that they were normal. Yuzu had joined her school’s home economics club, Karin played soccer with the local kids, and Ichigo was dragged into fights due to his hair.

One of the many things that changed due to Mom’s death was their actions with ghosts and hollows. It became inaction. Karin was fine with ignoring the ghosts, it was easier if they didn’t know she could see them. But purifying hollows was something they all did with Mom. And without her to take credit for the sudden disappearance of hollows’ presence, none of them were allowed to hunt anymore.

That was one of the many things that passed through her head as she, once again, ignored Goat-Face rolling on the floor, crying fake tears at the giant poster of Mom in the living room. None of them liked him doing so, he had no right to complain to Mom how cold they acted towards him. They also agreed it was a horrible picture of Mom and intended to get rid of it when Ichi-nii took custody.

The only reason she was even downstairs, was because Yuzu was baking. And, while Goat-Face had yet to hit either of them, she was not going to leave one of them alone with him. He had proven to be gentler with Ichigo if either of them happened to be in the same room. So she stayed, half watching some show while her twin baked for tomorrow’s picnic. A picnic that Goat-Face wasn’t invited to, and thus didn’t know about.

Ichi-nii wanted them to meet Chad, a friend he recently made. They had made it a point to know each other’s friends. To do a threat assessment, and to see if the friend was someone they would be able to trust. Chad was the second person her brother considered a friend, so Karin and Yuzu had high expectations of him.

Ichigo had told them about Chad’s coin and the promise he made to only fight to protect. That was something the siblings could get behind. They had no interest in needless violence like they associated with Goat-Face. And since people kept dragging Ichigo into fight, he needed someone to watch his back. She knew it was partly Goat-Face’s fault that the fights started, enraging her to the point that desperately made her want to breath fire. Her zanpakutou spirit was willing to breath some for her. Lucky her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still trying to figure out a good chapter length...


	4. Lunches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chad becomes a possible comrade. A not so secret meeting happens. And another actor joins the Kurosaki Sibling Acting Troup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, I have yet to set an update schedule, but I think I will try to release 1 or 2 chapters a week.  
> Feel free to leave comments and kudos.

Ichigo was nervous as he watched his sisters interact with his new friend Chad. They hadn’t even blinked when the teen as Sado Yasutora, then proceeded to tell them that they could call him Chad. Though Ichigo had to admit he wasn’t too surprised by that, Chad had accepted that as his nickname.

When Chad had straight up told the girls that he would watch Ichigo’s back, he was pleasantly surprised. He and Chad had made a pact to look out for and protect each other after Ichigo protected the coin given to Chad by his late grandfather. The coin symbolized the vow he made to only fight to protect. Ichigo was thrilled to have a friend, a comrade his own age, but part of him was screaming at himself, and it was not Zangetsu, but his guilt.

Guilt, because Ichigo _knew_ he was going to fight a war in a couple of years. Knew how he and his siblings could be hunted one day for existing. That Urahara and Goat-Face, the orchestrators of his birth, were going to try to make him fight someone someday; he didn’t know who or why. And Ichigo knew Chad would honor the pact they made. Even if it meant running into the jaws of death.

“Good. He needs more than just us looking after him.” Karin declared, snapping Ichigo out of his head, and back to the present.

Yuzu nodded, signifying her agreeance. “We’ll be counting on you Chad.” His sisters’ approval of his friend made some of his guilt fade away.

After the picnic, the siblings had parted with Chad, and headed to one of their secret bases. It was no longer possible to hold most of the KSSD at night anymore, with Goat-Face believing Ichigo was too old to let the twins sleep with him.

(For the most part, they had stopped wondering what ran through that man’s mind. It was not worth their time, anger, and sanity.)

It took a while to be able to hold their discussions, they had to find decent spots where they could hang out and put up a privacy barrier without attracting attention. They had a few close calls, but luckily people bought their excuse of practicing reading each other’s lips. Yuzu was proud of that excuse, it worked so well. To the point that they had realized they mainly needed to hide the barrier tags. But that was no excuse to get careless, so they made sure to stay away from the public and never go to the same location in a row.

Today’s was at Base C, located in an abandon warehouse, a location Yuzu was slightly wary of. Not because of the area, but because of the warehouse three buildings to the left. It had took her months to pinpoint it, but she was positive there was a barrier around it. And a _very_ strong one designed to avoid detection. Yuzu was far better at sensing minute details in reiatsu then her siblings, something Mom had picked up on when Yuzu was a toddler. When she was older, Mom had told her how dangerous people would find that ability. The ability that grew stronger as her powers matured

So, the Kurosaki siblings were cautious and curious about this area, always making sure there was no pattern on when they came to this area. And they made sure to never approached the building they dubbed Warehouse Three.

“Alright to start off this week’s KSSD, let’s talk about Ichigo’s new friend and possible addition to our group.” It was her twin’s turn to start the meeting and Ichi-nii’s turn as scribe, writing in the locked journal they buy for these meetings.

“Um, about Chad, he has the potential to develop powers.” Her older siblings looked over in surprise. It wasn’t unheard of for a long-time resident of Karakura Town to develop the ability to sense paranormal activities. Nothing more than occasionally getting bad vibes or slight chills. Developing powers was a whole different ball game. One the Kurosaki sibling had little understanding of, due to lacking information.

“I don’t think Chad is aware of it, but there is a small amount of hollow-like reiryoku in his arms. His power is currently in a dormant state, but if he awakens it, it probably could be trained.” Yuzu finished, spreading her arms out in a half-hearted shrug.

“That is good to know, it would be better if we knew how that would happen.” Ichi-nii stated, causing all of them to let out a light sigh.

Yuzu blinked, barely preventing her body to stiffen, before knocking on the floor three times. It was code for movement at Warehouse Three. Her siblings quickly dispelled the privacy barrier, their movements disguised as stretches. Karin began to complain about one of their teachers, a normal topic one would expect to hear a child talk about.

Ichi-nii and her listened to Karin rant, chiming in occasionally to seem like she was paying attention. All three of them knew she was focused on what she had sensed.

Warehouse Three’s barrier had ever so slightly rippled. Someone or something had left, and were currently concealing their reiatsu. Yuzu almost deemed it ‘trying’ because she could just barely sense it, no him. And her siblings would be very interested with the mystery man, seeing how he was one of the hollowfied Shinigami she had been sensing for years.

Shinji walked back into the warehouse a good half-hour after the kids had left. For a year and a half now those three had been showing up and hanging out in the warehouse that was three buildings to the right. For a while, the Vizards had believed this trio was no different than the usual punks and brats that occasionally chill around these parts. But something always seemed off about the three. And when he mapped out on a calendar when they came, the dates were too random to be a coincidence.

The calendar was what convinced most of the Visored that no, Shinji was not just being paranoid. He managed to convince them to hook up a hidden camera in that warehouse and waited for the kids to come back. When their area surveillance cameras spotted the trio, the Visored gathered around the screen to see the kids place a barrier. A Quincy barrier that prevents eavesdropping and mutes the reiatsu signatures of those inside.

A barrier the kids were using to train. Yeah, Shinji had a lot of questions he wanted answers to. (He was also smug due to being right.)

It had been four months since they started observing the trio, and he hadn’t learned much about the kids except for their names, ages, and that they were siblings. Their training mainly consisted of drills that someone had taught them. Each sibling had formed bad habits, so it wasn’t likely that they had an instructor anymore.

“I’m back, how’d it go?” Shinji hollered as he came down the steps to see the others with different levels of shock and disbelief on their faces while Hachi looked slightly offended.

Lisa looked at him and just pointed to the laptop “It’s best if you just watch the video yourself.”

Curious, he sat down and played today’s recording from the beginning. ‘ _Kids arrive, check. Barrier placed, check. Locked logbook, check. So today’s Ichigo’s turn to write, and Karin’s turn to start the meeting The kids are in are happy today, rare but good to see. And Yuzu says something that shocks her siblings. Signs of worry and anxiety, check. I should be leaving the barrier just about…_

_‘Wait, what was that?’_

Shinji’s thoughts froze as the unexpected action took him by surprise. He moved the video scrubber back ten seconds to clearly see Yuzu blink _right after_ Hachi opens the barrier to let him out. She raps her knuckles against the floor three times while keeping her body from tensing. Looking like they were stretching, Ichigo and Karin disabled the barrier before Karin started ranting about school.

Just for a moment, not even a second, Yuzu’s eyes flicker towards the direction where Shinji had been with his reiatsu _suppressed_. Slowing down the video, lets him see more hand signs mixed with their conversation. Judging by subtle eye movement, she told them he was there. Then followed by something that surprised them.

All of their actions looked so normal, _so practiced_ , after Yuzu had blinked. That worried Shinji because he knew that skill does not just pop up. Training in secret and hiding their powers was one thing, but this was a different level of hiding. The siblings were wary of something, their determination with their training was tinted with desperation. Now knowing, Yuzu’s unreal reiatsu reading skills made him question if the trio’s actions were really due to paranoia.

“Well, not ain’t that something.” Shinji drew the Vizards’ attention to him.

“Something” Hiyori screeches while sending a glare around the room, “They can sense the barrier, they can sense _us._ ”

Love placed his hand, trying to calm her before she did something rash. “Yo Hachi, got a theory?”

“I believe this is largely due to familiarity. While I have no doubt over Yuzu’s sensing abilities, her power is still immature, like her siblings, due to age. The barrier they use, while largely different from the one we use, has several similarities in its base foundations. Personally, I am far more concerned with her tracking Shinji, and what it alludes to.”

“Because even if she and her siblings are used to controlling their reiatsu, that doesn’t explain why an immature kid was able to track Shinji with his level of control.” Kensei, with his arms crossed narrowed his eye, as his expression became dark. “Not unless there was something familiar about his reiatsu that she was able to pinpoint. You think one of the kids are like us.”

“At least one.” The room filled with killing intent with Hachi’s confirmation. Shinji was just at furious. A child, possibly children of the Living Word likely had an inner hollow. They siblings were born and raised in Karakura Town, there was _no_ chance that Urahara did not know this. And he _did not_ tell the Visored about the siblings.

Shinji hadn’t trusted Urahara in years. While the man had helped them stabilize themselves, he had also made a Hōgyoku. And Shinji is aware that if Urahara would do whatever he thought nesecery to kill Aizen. But this, this crosses the damn line.

“We have to find a way to approach the kids without scaring them off or breaking the illusion that they think their normal.” Lisa stated breaking the silence. “I doubt they would be practicing in secret if Urahara knew. And while I have no idea how they managed to fool him; he will realize something is up if we just approach them.”

Shinji was pleased to see that while everyone’s faces were still dark, there was determination. They would find away to help those kids. And teach them how to actual fight with a sword. They were decent with a bow, but their dual wielding attempts were painfully cringeworthy.

Almost a year after Chad joined the group, Yuzu ‘surprised’ her older siblings them by dragging their cousin Ishida Uryuu to their biweekly picnic. Earlier that week, he had carried her bags of fabric and sewing supplies home for her. She had gone to her favorite craft store in a buying rage. Goat-Face had laughed at Karin for wearing a skirt, saying it didn’t suit her. All three siblings were wearing new clothes, she had gifted Chad a pair of wrist bands, and judging by Ishida’s pocket, he got a handkerchief.

Judging by the look on Ishida’s face, Yuzu had dragged him here. Their acting was very convincing. “Sorry we were late. Chad this is our maternal cousin Ishida Uryuu, Uryuu-nii this is our friend Chad. I’m sure you two will be friends in no time.”

Clearly, he had not been expecting her to introduce him as a cousin, or as familiarly as she did. While the four of them knew they were related, the Kurosaki siblings weren’t supposed to know that. It wasn’t considered ‘normal’ knowledge, so the most Ichigo had interacted with Uryuu was during school. Until Ichigo beat up high schoolers trying to mug Uryuu, which was not appreciated, and tensions snapped. Leading to a very interesting conversation concerning each other’s survival of Auswählen.

“Don’t expect me to thank you. I had it handled; your interference was not needed.” Ishida sneered, fixing his glasses that had become loose during the tussle. His condescending tone infuriated Ichigo. He hadn’t been looking for gratitude, but this pissed him off. He barely remembered to form a privacy barrier before glaring at Ishida

“Oh, did you now? From where I was standing, you were about to get knocked out. What, were you planning on shooting an arrow at them? Because that would have worked _so_ well against delinquents.”

“Hmph, I have better things to do than argue with a brute that doesn’t understand tactics.

“What I don’t _understand_ is how you survived Auswählen. Though I suppose it makes sense why you have a stick up your ass. You still have your powers and your life even though you’re an impure Quincy.”

Ishida slammed his fist into to Ichigo’s jaw. “My mom is dead because of it too, you bastard! I had to watch as my own father performed the autopsy to remove the solidified poison. Why the fuck is a hybrid like you still alive?”

Ichigo felt a trickle of blood run from his nose as he watched Ishida breath heavy from his rage. He had rushed to help Ishida with thinking, not sure why he had intervened in the first place. Seeing the expression in his cousin’s face made it click. In a way, they were similar. The main difference wasn’t their race but the simple fact that Ichigo had his sisters to protect and to support him; and Ishida did not. Mom had always told him he was a protector and needed allies. And Ishida need allies, friends, comrades as well.

So Ichigo looked Ishida straight in the eyes, and to a big breath. “My sisters and I survived because we are a hybrid of four. Goat-Face is a Shinigami, currently in a special fake body making him part human. Mom was Quincy who had been infected by a hollow, the only reason that her soul didn’t collapse was due to a buffer Goat-Face’s powers were used to make. The hollow mainly passed to me in the womb, and the girls got the rest. Our hollowfied spirits worked with Quincy spirits to destroy the poison and shield us against Auswählen.”

Ishida’s eyes were wide in shock. He stared as his brain processed the info dump. Ichigo waited patiently, he knew it was a lot to swallow.

“I don’t know why I survived. Grandfather theorized that I must have some sort of innate ability that protected me. But we don’t know what.”

“Me and my siblings intend on making the Sealed King pay. Ichigo paused, seeing Ishida lift his head. “We could always use more allies.” 

“He has an army; we will need to make plans covering several scenarios to win. And exchange information. Speaking of which, how much do your sisters know?” Both teenagers had small smirks on their faces. From that moment on, Ishida became Uryuu. They were conspiring together, and that warranted first-name bases.

Before their Talk, Ichigo had hated Ishida for surviving what his mother did not. He knew the other was not a pure Quincy, yet his classmate was still alive. He learned that Ishida hated him and his siblings for the exact same reason. After they finished bumping heads and shared why they survived, they started to bond over their shared hatred of Yhwach. While the two were not friends, they did have a shared goal. Revenge.

Ichigo’s sisters were thrilled to have another ally but were a bit miffed with his actions. He had to listen to Karin’s groan about picking a fight with their cousin and a disappointed Yuzu lecture him on what he said to Uryuu. After she ordered him to apologize for his words, she praised him for remembering to place the privacy wards and activating the barrier. They would be in danger otherwise.

After they got that cleared up, they realized that they would need a reasonable excuse for them to start hanging out. Uryuu was now aware of the reason Ichigo and his sisters were hiding most of their abilities and skills, Goat-Face could _not_ learn that the siblings had been secretly training for years; they weren’t sure what the man would do.

Ishida had suggested Yuzu befriend him with the excuse of exchanging craft technicities. During the next K.S.S.D. Yuzu had agreed, leaving the details of this plan to her and Ishida. Though their meeting at the craft store on Tuesday was sooner than when they had it originally set for.

But Ishida carrying her bags and walking her home allowed them to talk about patterns and stitches. His youngest sister invited Ishida to picnic, informing him that they were now friends and that all friends were introduced to her older siblings. They made sure to stay on a public route to her house, avoiding the quicker alleyways. Speaking just loud enough for people to overhear their conversation.

Ichigo came to greet them before they got to the house, no sense in giving Goat-Face ammunition to taunt Yuzu as well.

“It’s one of the ways we look out for each other. We change locations depending on the weather and our whims, so meet me in front of the fabric store at 11:30 on Sunday. Thanks again for carrying my bags.” Yuzu sent Ishida off with a smile as Ichigo sent a nod his way, before walking the rest of the way home.

Five days later Uryuu joined their picnic, and Yuzu’s sewing skills began to improve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwa haa haa. Someone has figured out the Kurosaki Sibling Secret.  
> Also, Urahara sneezed when the Visored learned. Hope you enjoyed.


	5. Discussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurosaki siblings meet the Visored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, my cats got in the way of this chapter.  
> Also, Karin has a slight panic attack. I've seen other writers put in warnings of such things, so I thought I would add one to be safe.

It was a normal day for the Kurosaki siblings. They were about to start the usual KSSD, one without Uryuu-nii, when a voice cut through the warehouse.

“Yo, lovely weather we’re having.”

The siblings swerved to face the intruder. Karin formed throwing knives, Yuzu had an arrow aimed, and Ichigo dual wielding Zangetsu. Someone had gotten into the warehouse without any of them knowing. A man with jaw-length blond hair cut straight, was smiling at them with his upper teeth showing. Dressed simple in shirt, tie, and trousers; he was lounging on a crate that wasn’t there when they came in.

“Ah, sorry I didn’t mean ta scare ya. I’m Hirako Shinji, from the warehouse three doors down. We figured it was ‘bout time someone did the nieghborly thing and said hello.” The man didn’t even twitch at the weapons aimed at him, or when the girls took a step back, positioning Ichigo in front. He just ignored their movements and continued talking.

“I know you’re probably wondering, “Why show up now Shinji, when we’ve been coming here for almost three years?” Well, we were finally able ta confirm ya had inner hollows as well and figured that warranted a little chat. Especially since ya seem to get along with them, which we didn’t think was possible.”

Karin and her siblings were struggling and failing to keep their calm. This was one of their worst fears, the beginning of nightmares that woke them up, leaving them wanting to scream. They had been found out, they had been _watched_ , someone had known about them for _years_. He knew about their hollows; he likely knew about their other abilities. Shit. They were screwed.

“What do you want, and who have you told.” Ichigo growled, tightening his grip on Zangetsu. Hirako Shinji was still unfazed.

“Ta exchange information. As I said, we didn’t think it was possible ta get along with our inner hollows; and we would _really_ like ta know ‘bout that. It wouldn’t be fair if we were the only ones asking questions, so we’re willing ta answer yours. A question for a question, an answer for an answer. Simple, right. As for who we’ve told, that be no one. Only the eight of us Visored know, and I can assure ya Urahara and his minions aren’t among us.”

Karin was focusing on breathing and trying to get her shaking to stop. (She was failing.) She barely heard Ichigo’s reluctant agreement. Of course he agreed, they didn’t have a choice. Who knows what would happen if they tried to refuse? At some point Ichigo picked her up after having her release her knives; murmuring that it would be alright. Yuzu was holding his right hand as they followed the man to Warehouse Three. Karin hoped Ichigo was right and that it would be okay. Because she had no clue what they would do otherwise.

Shinji led the way, making sure to walk in front of the siblings. Yeah, like expected, the poor kids were terrified by his presence. Karin looked one step away from a full-blown panic attack and Yuzu was utterly devastated from failing to sense him. Though he was proud ta see Ichigo step forward and take charge.

Shinji was also thrilled none of the kids launched an attack. He really didn’t want to deal another blow to their mental state by easily evading or blocking. They were really impressive for their age and for mostly being self-taught in everything aside from their Quincy abilities. But he had _several_ centuries of training and experience behind him. So right now, the kids just didn’t stand a chance against him.

And he knew they couldn’t handle learning that fact right now. Frankly all of the Visord, even Hiyori, would have loved to find some magical way ta not be categorized as a threat by the siblings, to not make the kids feel like the walls were tumbling down and trapping them. Alas, no magic was found so they did the next best thing they could.

Finding a way to meet and interact with the kids without Aizen, Urahara, or anyone else knowing; not unless the kids decided to tell them. And ta do that, the Visored had to prevent the kids from running off so they could actually talk. Which required getting around Yuzu’s sensory abilities, since the normal suppressing tricks didn’t work.

Shinji could feel his eyes glazing over just thinking ‘bout how annoying it was to find a barrier that would block her from sensing them. It was such a pain in the ass. It took over a year of trial and error, to prevent rousing the siblings’ suspicions.

Luckily, they had the barrier handled when Ichigo showed Uryuu his hollow mask last time the kids were at the warehouse. The Visored all had hangovers the next day from the sheer amount of alcohol they consumed due ta that confirmation. Lisa had printed a picture of Urahara and was using it as a practice target.

Now Uryuu was a greatly welcomed addition. Seriously, the kids had finally trusted someone enough to involve in their training. It was heartwarming ta see such growth. It also solidified their decision ta get involved with the kids. The Visored had enough of playing into others’ schemes.

So here he was, leadin’ the kids, their kids, into the warehouse and down the steps into the Visored’s base. And hopin’ Hiyori didn’t try to smack anyone with her sandal. The last thing they needed was the kids thinking they’d be harmed.

“Welcome ta Visored Central” The man, Hirako Shinji, proudly announced as Ichigo and Yuzu stepped of the last step onto the hard ground. In the warehouse, there was a staircase leading down into a large space..? That was brightly lit like they were outside with bare terrain to match.

What in the world?

On the plus side, the confusion was enough to break Karin out of her panic. But seriously, what the…? They were standing in what resembled a large canyon. No grass, no soil, no sand; just rock with pilars here-and-there. Oh, and there was somehow a blue sky.

Ichigo and his siblings turned around to look at the staircase. The only indication of the warehouse was a floating(?) concrete slab that the stairs connected to. Again, what?

Ichigo was tempted to grab Yuzu and hightail it back up the stairs and out of Warehouse Three. Maybe grab their go-bags and try leave Karakura Town for however long before someone dragged them back.

As if sensing Ichigo’s plans, Mr. blond straight-cut started introducing his friends who had appeared while he was distracted by the ridiculous surroundings. The big man dressed in an olive-green tuxedo with an orange bow tie and pink hair was Hachi. The girl with green hair wearing a white body suit with orange gloves, scarf, boot and accents was Mashiro. Next to her was Kensei, a man looking like a boxer.

Followed by Love, a man with an afro in a blue gym jersey. Hiyori was dressed the same, but her jersey was red and had short brown pigtails. The girl in a sailor uniform and long black hair tied up into a pigtail was Lisa. Finally, there was Rose, dressed in a frilly white shirt and long black jacket. He had long wavy blond hair.

Yeah, this group sure painted an interesting picture. Judging by the look of righteous indignation on Yuzu’s face, she did not approve of their clothing choices. His attempts to sooth her by patting her head resulted in her shooting him a Look.

“Yuzu, we’ve talked about this. Everyone has their own taste in clothes. You can’t make everyone wear what you want them to wear.” He whispered, trying to be subtle.

“But Ichi-nii, look at them. They look ridiculous lined up like that.” Yuzu whisper-shriek back at him. “Their styles don’t mesh together at all.”

“Manners…”

“Hey,” Karin interrupted, “I’m pretty sure they can hear you two. So maybe save this for later.”

Ichigo looked over at the line up, and judging by their slightly amused expressions, the group heard them. Yuzu realized it too, crossing her arms, her face unrepentant. Yeah, they were going to have a talk about this later.

“I’m Ichigo, these are my sisters Karin and Yuzu. You said you wanted to talk; let’s talk.”

“Great!” Shinji clapped his hands, as the group walked over to the lounge area, and sat down in chairs. Just because they were living in hiding doesn’t mean that the Visored had no amenities.

His grin had widened seeing the sibling’s reactions to their base and enjoyed Yuzu’s offense to their clothes. It was good to see, it meant the kids’ panic was calming down. Trust couldn’t be built if the kids were terrified of the Visored.

And the kids had enough to worry about, considering what flashed through Ichigo’s head when he saw the hideout. The last thing he needed was the kids trying to run, alerting various people’s attention. But those were things to continue to muse over later, for now there was a Q&A Talk that needed his attention.

“So kids, do ya mind if I start us off?” They tilted their heads in his direction, signaling that he could go first. “Splendid. Lets get to it then. How’d ya get your hollows?” They didn’t have proof the girls having hollows yet, but he was sure they had them.

“Mom was bit and infected by a weird hollow. Urahara used Goat-Face’s Shinigami powers to protect her soul.” Ichigo kept his voice even, but the kids’ faces twisted like Goat-Face was a bad word. Note ta self, the siblings _hate_ Goat-Face. Find out who he is.

The boy shrugged before continuing, “We got them in the womb, but they only know about mine. So, how did you all get yours?”

“Three traitors, Aizen Sōsuke, Tōsen Kaname, and Gin Ichimaru managed to infect us for their hollowfication experiments. Urahara managed to stabilize us, preventing our souls from self-destructing, but he was framed. We escaped ta the Living World to avoid execution.”

Shinji was barely able ta keep his killing intent from leaking. He hated those damn basterds. But he wasn’t about ta risk scaring off the kids, so he kept a tight lid on it. Time for the next question.

“Who’s Goat-Face?” Wow, their faces just soured dramatically fast. Sorry kids, but we need ya ta answer that.

“Oh Goat-Face.” Karin started, her tone completely faux-cheer, with a smile of teeth. “Why, you probably know him as Shiba Isshin. Ex-Captain of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13. He’s also, very unfortunately, our _father_.”

What? Shinji froze, sensing the other Visored due the same. He turned to them, quickly sharing questioning glances and shaking heads. Urahara never mentioned Shiba Isshin’s presence to _any_ of them.

He had been here for years, gotten married and had three children; children who hated his guts. And Urahara never _told them anything_. Not a word about Shiba Isshin, Kurosaki’s mother, Ichigo’s (and Karin’s and Yuzu’s) hollow. Shinji caught Lisa’s eyes. Later, they would discuss this later.

“I see, we were not aware he was in town. Your question?” Lisa asked, giving Shinji time to pull himself together.

“Why wasn’t I able to sense you in the warehouse?” Yuzu asked, eyes flickering around the group. It was Hachi who answered.

“We placed a barrier. You are able to sense the barrier I placed around our warehouse due to its similarities to the one your siblings and you regularly use. Right now, your immature power notices and tracks things that are familiar to you. It’s the same reason you can regularly sense us, through our hollows, even when we are suppressing our reiatsu.”

Yuzu rocketed back, with her face thoughtful. Ichigo waved his hand prompting the next question.

“How do you know Quincy techniques?” The kids looked like they were slapped at Love’s question.

“Because unlike Goat-Face, Mom believed we should actually know our heritage, what we are, and how to protect ourselves against hollows.” Karin snapped, sending them all reeling.

“Wait, Shiba Isshin has taught you nothing? You’d have been attacked by a hollow if you weren’t surpressing your reiatsu. Leaving you in ignorance could have killed you all! There’s no way he doesn’t know that fact. What the hell!”

The Visored were in outrage, yelling over each other. At some point the rock they were using as a table was broken. By the time they calmed down, the siblings all had baffled expressions, blinking at Shinji and the others.

“So let me get this straight. Shiba Isshin has told you _nothing_ about hollows, plus, or Soul Society. He thinks your control is instinctive and has no idea your Quincy mother told you _anything,_ let alone everything she could. You’ve been keeping him in the dark that you know and in turn keeping Urahara ignorant of your knowledge as well.”

The kids all nodded “Yep.”

Damn, Shinji was impressed.

“Our turn. What are you all going to do know that you know?” The siblings stared at the Visored who looked at each other and shrugged.

“We’re not going to tell anyone, I already told ya that, and we’ll stand by that. Otherwise, ya all could use some new sparring partners, ya’ve developed some bad habits. And your dual-wielding is just atrocious.” Shinji felt his mouth morf into a smirk, as the kids’ eyes widen. “So I think we will offer some training.”

“But first, we have one last question to ask. How did ya get your hollows to like ya?”

“I can try to answer that, but it might require clarifying questions.” Ichigo began, as the Visored signaled their agreement.

“I’m not sure if it’s the same or you, but our hollow is our zanpakuto spirit. We also turned the manifestation of our Quincy powers into a second spirit, but we won’t count them into this since they don’t pertain to your situation.

“Anyway, all we had to do was make them understand that we were the ones in charge. Shiro likes to use the analogy King and Horse. Otherwise, we’ve just let them guide us like zanpakuto are supposed to do. I’m not sure if that’s what you were hoping for, but that’s all there is to it.”

Ichigo scratched his head, clearly not understanding the bomb he just dropped on them.

“Ya don’t seal them away?” Mashiro asked, her face serious for a change. But to be fair, she was fairly serious for this meeting.

“Umm no. Why would we? Zanpakuto spirits are us, it wouldn’t make sense to try to seal part of our soul away.” Yuzu answered, confusion a flickering across her face.

Yeah, there was an awkward pause as the Visored processed that statement. Shinji had some _serious_ apologizing ta give ta Sakanade. They all needed to beg forgiveness from their zanpakutos. But he would have ta due that later, the kids were currently shifting around, clearly uncomfortable with the room’s tension.

“It’s getting late, and we don’t want Goat-Face getting suspisous, so…” Yuzu started, as she and her older siblings began to stand up.

“Of course, I’ll walk you out. Feel free ta come back anytime, Hachi has already made it so Urahara won’t be able to sense you here. He’ll just think you are at your warehouse instead. And think about the training offer. Good night.”

Shinji escorted them out, waiting until they were out of sight before turning around and going back inside. When he returned, Hachi had already set up barriers for the others. They needed ta have a heart-to-heart with their spirits after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Urahara and Isshin both experienced sudden chills during this chapter.
> 
> Kudos and comments welcomed.
> 
> Author is tired.


	6. Chapter 6 (Interlude)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter preparing for a time skip.

“Hold it together for tonight. Tomorrow, Goat-Face leaves for the annual three-day medical conference. We’ll be free to process and go over what happened today.”

They had almost made it home before Karin and Yuzu started to shake. Thankfully Goat-Face could interpret their gloomy mood as them being upset that he was leaving. He would leave and they would have _three whole days_ to themselves, minus school. No acting, no forcing fake smiles and cheery mood. Ichigo could cook and bake whatever they wanted, Karin could wear whatever she wanted, and Yuzu could lounge as much as she wanted.

It would be glorious! The only downer was that it only lasted three days; and that this year they had a surprise sprung on them the day before. Ichigo wasn’t sure whether to be happy or upset at Warehouse Three’s timing. Though to be fair, the warehouse’s residents might not have known about the Kurosaki Siblings’ Freedom Days.

KSFD was only known to Chad and Uryuu, and they were sworn to secrecy. Mainly to explain why they wouldn’t be available afterschool for the first half of the week.

They could freak out tomorrow. But tonight, they still had to keep up their act. The show must go on.

“Oi, Baldy!” Hiyori shouted while slapping him with her sandal. “When are the brats coming? They are coming back, right? They better be or I’ll shave you bald otherwise.”

“Calm down, they come when their ready. Remember, they only came ta their warehouse a few times a month. With how cautious they are, they will take their time upping that ta a more regular rate. Instead of hitting me, focus on your sword.” 

Shinji let out a sigh. Hiyori was already frustrated with waiting game, honestly it had only been two days since The Talk. Besides from focusing on their zanpaktos, everyone was a bit antzy about the kids. The kids had accepted their short round of Q&A, mainly because they had felt threatened and needed to know who they were dealing with. The kids had been calm when they left, but judging by Karin’s panic attack, it was likely her siblings would have one when they felt safe.

And now, they were in the waiting game stage. Shinji was certain they would come back at least a few times, mainly to keep an eye on him and the rest of the Visored. The real challenge will be convincing the kids to continue to come after those few times. Gaining enough trust for that will be tricky, for now though they would have to wait for the kids to return.

Until then, they had some more groveling to do. All of them were able to have a chat with their zanpakto spirits. Though saying their spirits gave them one hell of a beating if far more accurate than calling it a chat. Yeah, it’ll take some time to rebuild their connection ta their zanpaktos, but they were finally on speaking terms again. Something that they hadn’t had for around a century.

Being unable to communicate with their zanpaktos had been the hardest thing about living in hiding. It felt like part of themselves had been torn away. And to learn it was their own doing, their fault because they didn’t realize something simple. Something so simple that children who didn’t know basic sword stances knew.

Just because they had been hollowfied, that did _not_ change the fact that they were still their zanpactou spirits. Shinji was going to be kicking himself for a long time over how ignorant they had been. Technically, Sakanade was the one kicking him but that was semantics.

Speaking of the kids, they looked so awkward when they left. They clearly had no idea what kind of bomb was dropped. But that was fine, Shinji was glad they hadn’t had the same problems the other Visored and him did. Hopefully, they’ll come back next week.

Until then, the Visored were adding training areas specifically for the kids. Among other additions that had been suggested in their anxious state. They now had twice the number of toilets. the kitchen, which was sparkling clean, was expanded three times so far. Random hammocks, sleeping bags, tents, and bedrolls had shown up. And Shinji still needed ta figure who’d stolen a vending machine.

Yesterday, he had ta start forcing people ta take naps. At least Sakanade had found that hilarious. She spent almost an hour laughing at them and started ta call the Kurosaki siblings chicks.

Then she slapped him again, leaving more scratches on his cheeks when she realized she was talking to him. All of the Visored (except the kids) were in similar states; and they were finally starting to feel more like themselves than they had for a long time.

Ichigo smiled as he stared at the three-tier chocolate cake he had made on Monday. There were only three slices left, perfect enough for tonight’s dessert. When Goat-Face unfortunately returned tomorrow, there would be no sign of Ichigo baking, something the man deemed unacceptable. The only exception was for the girls’ birthdays.

The girls had decided to wait until tonight to talk about Warehouse Three. Wanting to relax instead of worrying about any supernatural business. Though he knew they were all mulling over the conversation. Shiro and Ossan had shared their opinions on the matter, both leaning towards taking the deal.

**“C’mon King. Quit monologuing already.”** Shiro snapped. **“You an’ the girls already decided what yer gonna do. Hurry up an’ accept so I can fight them.”**

Ichigo sighed, glancing over to the couch where his little sisters were laying. Karin met his gaze before turning to Yuzu.

“We need the training. Yuzu?” The burnett blinked away from the t.v.

“They haven’t told Urahara or Goat-Face, I say we give them a chance. Ichi-nii?”

He nodded. “Ok then, Saturday after school, we’ll go to Warehouse Three. I’ll let Uryuu know.” Because they had already agreed to share information with their cousin. It would be wrong if they tried to hide this from him. Besides, Uryuu occasionally trained with them, he would notice if they suddenly improved.

The decision was made. Now to see if the residents of Warehouse Three were worth their trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. Clearly a short chapter, it felt weird when I added in the next part. After mulling over it I decided to just put a chapter break in.


End file.
